The Chasm of Doom (12 page)
A dreadful feeling of guilt sweeps over you as you recognize these amulets. They are the symbols of a holy order of monks known as ‘The Redeemers’, a silent order devoted to pilgrimage, prayer, and the healing arts.
You curse your hasty action and carefully replace the amulets around the necks of the holy men.
The tracks lead to the overgrown entrance of a mine tunnel. You peer into the gloomy passage to see that many of the beams and props that once supported the roof have now collapsed. Mounds of moss-covered earth litter the tunnel floor, and a rivulet of ore-stained water trickles a winding course around them.
The hoof prints end at the entrance but two sets of footprints continue into the mine.
If you wish to send your men in search of the missing horses,
turn to 164
.
If you wish to follow the footprints into the mine,
turn to 288
.
If you wish to call off the search, you can return along the hill track by
turning to 6
.
The floor of the tunnel is covered with the decaying remains of rodents. The sound of cracking bones makes you wince with disgust as you and your men step gingerly through the foul-smelling debris.
You reach a section where the tunnel curves abruptly to the east, revealing the reflections of torchlight on the rough stone walls. A quick check ahead confirms your suspicions; two armour-clad warriors stand guard at a well sunk into a torchlit chamber.
If you wish to signal to your men to attack the guards,
turn to 320
.
If you wish to try to lure them into the tunnel and capture them alive,
turn to 197
.
A quick search of the body reveals the following items:
- Sword
- 6 Gold Crowns
- Enough food for two Meals
- Brass Key
You may take any of these items but remember to mark them on your
Action Chart
.
As you turn to enter the tunnel, a guard appears on the ramp below. He sees you and sounds the alarm by blowing on a war-horn strung around his neck. You do not stay to witness the response to his alarm signal. With its sound ringing in your ears you escape into the tunnel at a run.
You release the shaft and it whistles towards the bandit leader, but he sees its deadly approach and raises his polished steel shield. Your heart sinks as the arrow is turned aside; it shatters harmlessly against the watchtower wall. Before you can fire again, the bow is suddenly kicked from your grasp. You are confronted by an armoured warrior. He stands above you on the barricade wall, and you cannot evade his attack.
Vassagonian Warrior:
COMBAT SKILL
17
ENDURANCE
26
You sheathed your weapon in order to use the bow, but unfortunately the warrior attacks before you can draw it to defend yourself. Therefore you must deduct 4 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
for the first two rounds of combat. If you are still alive by the third round, you manage to unsheathe your weapon and retaliate.
If you win the combat,
turn to 174
.
When you are certain that the bandits are no longer in pursuit, you halt to rally your tired and tattered company. Only ten men have survived the battle; the rest have either been captured or been killed before they could escape. With the highway to Sommerlund now cut off by bandits, you have no choice but to continue southwards.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–2,
turn to 120
.
If it is 3–9,
turn to 51
.
Beyond the approaching Warhound pack, you can see that a dozen bandit archers are closing in. If you were to survive the rending jaws of the Warhounds, the archers would be sure to pick you off with ease. Without wasting a second, you turn towards Ruanon and run as fast as your legs will carry you.
The tunnel soon arrives at the base of a mine shaft where a ladder is fixed to the wall. This ascends to another tunnel thirty feet above, which disappears into the west wall. There is no other exit from the shaft.
If you wish to climb the ladder to the level above
turn to 212
.
If you decide to retrace your steps back to the previous chamber and take the south tunnel,
turn to 101
.
You are now so tired that you are forced to stop and sleep. Many hours pass before you awake, totally refreshed. Restore 1
ENDURANCE
point and continue your exploration of the tunnel.
Your stomach turns as the boat lurches forward into space. You tumble for what seems like an eternity before hitting deep water head-first. The impact is so sudden and so hard that you are concussed and slip into unconsciousness. You lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
When you awake, you find yourself lying face down in mud and gravel. Your head is pounding and your lungs feel as if they are on fire. You have lost your Backpack and all that it contained. Although your vision is hazy and blurred, you are quick to realize that you are alone. No trace of your men or your boat remain.
Make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
before
turning to 219
.
You lie with your face pressed close to the crop roots, your breath held and your nerves stretched as taut as bowstrings, waiting for the patrol to pass.
Hundreds of minute creatures busily file up and down the yellowed stalks. Your whole body begins to prickle as you imagine they are swarming up your legs, up your sleeves and down the neck of your tunic. When a trickle of sweat runs down your cheek, you nearly cry out and reveal your hiding place.
The bandits amble past barely inches from where you hide, totally oblivious to your presence. When you are sure they are no longer on the track, you jump up and frantically scratch at your itching skin. To your horror, you discover that your legs are covered with crawling insects feasting on your blood. Ripping your clothes off, you empty them from your boots and scrape them from your skin before hurrying off along the track. The blood-sucking insects have robbed you of 2
ENDURANCE
points.
An escort of five rangers accompanies you along the twisting narrow track that leads to the hut. The rough stone walls are covered with a damp moss into which is set a curious oval door. There are no windows. You have dismounted and are approaching the door when suddenly a man's voice calls from inside the hut: ‘Come in, Lone Wolf, I've been expecting you.’
If you wish to open the door and enter,
turn to 84
.
If you wish to draw your weapon and kick open the door,
turn to 205
.
If you wish to send your rangers into the hut,
turn to 306
.
Raising the hood of your Kai cloak, you crouch in the bottom of an empty ore wagon and wait with bated breath. Through a gap in the wood you can see a haggard procession of men shuffling towards you. An escort of bandit warriors pushes them forward, beating any who falter or slip out of line. You feel a sudden jolt as your wagon is pushed along the tunnel and glance up to see a sweat-streaked face peering down at you. ‘Run left when I say “Go”,’ whispers the face which then disappears over the edge of the wagon.
As the wagon emerges from the tunnel, sunlight suddenly floods over you. Through the crack you can now see your destination; the wagons are being shunted onto a timber gantry where the track ends some fifty feet above a huge mound of ore. Your observations are cut short by a hissed command: ‘Go!’
If you wish to leap from the wagon and run to the left,
turn to 27
.
If you wish to jump from the wagon and run to the right,
turn to 144
.
If you decide to ignore the command and stay where you are,
turn to 294
.
Two mine tunnels lead out of the chamber. One heads towards the west, the other towards the south.
If you wish to go west,
turn to 214
.
If you wish to go south,
turn to 117
.
You turn and run from the Vassagonian but trip over a broken wagon wheel and tumble to the ground. You hear the warrior's malicious laugh as he draws back his sword to strike, but the laugh suddenly changes to a ghastly howl.
You watch him slump to the ground, a Sommlending arrow deep in the nape of his neck.
Suddenly, the shrill blast of a war-horn makes your blood freeze. Red-clad bandit warriors suddenly leap from the dense foliage and charge towards your men. The odds are against you, for you are outnumbered by at least three to one. There may be no escape from this deadly ambush.
If you wish to rally your men to stand and fight,
turn to 299
.
If you decide to order a hasty retreat into the mine,
turn to 52
.
You return to the troubadours' stage in time for a meal that has been prepared by your hosts. The steaming broth smells most appetising.
If you wish to accept the meal,
turn to 319
.
If you decline the food, you must now eat a Meal from your Backpack or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Turn to 13
.
You sense that the wagon is full of sleeping bandits. Should they awake before you cross the river undetected or before you silence all six of the bandits who are fishing, you and your men will be hard-pressed to avoid death or capture. You decide that the risks are too great to attempt a crossing here and signal to your men to follow you eastwards.
To your delight you discover a miner's Backpack and a Shovel lying in the bottom of the mine wagon. Inside the Backpack is enough food for one Meal. You slip the Backpack over your shoulders before attempting to climb the steep service tunnel. (If you wish to keep the Shovel, it takes up two spaces in your Backpack.)
Make the appropriate adjustments to your
Action Chart
and
turn to 185
.
You break open the two halves of your Kalte Firesphere and hold the flaming hemispheres high as you advance deeper into the vault. You gasp as you spot a hideous black-skinned creature perched on a rail near the ceiling. Dull, satanic eyes follow your every move, and its mouth opens and closes, shouting silent curses. Suddenly, it glides down from its perch and attacks.
Illustration X—Dull, satanic eyes follow your every move.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 34
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 85
.
As you part the dense foliage, you suddenly topple headlong over the edge of a steep drop and fall with a crash onto a wide forest track below. Less than ten feet away kneels a bandit examining the hoof of his horse and prising out a sharp stone from the animal's shoe with a long, curved dagger. The noise of your fall alerts him, and he turns with his weapon raised for attack.
Bandit Warrior:
COMBAT SKILL
16
ENDURANCE
24
If you win the combat, you notice that a group of bandits are closing in from the north. You spot them just in time to make a hasty escape.